Hey Hasbro. Don’t Change Monopoly… Or Scrabble

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Stef and Roxie joined us from H’wood today. Having Stef nearby is really wonderful. It’s been a long time since we’ve been so convenient for each other.

There was shopping to be done. We headed out.

Roxie is reasonably hyper. She stayed home.

Destination Target… with Doppler.

There are rules or law we’re violating. I know that. Fine. Come and get me.

Doppler is so well behaved no one could possibly mind. She sits in the cart while we walk around. No barking. No fidgeting. She sits quietly and takes it all in.

If a kid wants to pet her, fine. Doppler is 100% docile.

While Helaine and Stef shopped, I headed to the back where the TVs and electronics live, then wandered around.

It didn’t take long to run into two old favorite games–Monopoly and Scrabble. They’ve been changed!

A pox on your house Hasbro!

Back in the seventies I fell in with a crowd of cutthroat Monopoly players. We read strategy books and fought hard, but the truth is buying everything you land on is the only way to go.

Monopoly has been sped up with the “Speed Die.” It’s a third die that picks up the action.

Sacrilege!

Scrabble is a very serious game. There are well established ratings and tournaments. You take risks when you screw with the game.

In Philly, I lived above Neal Axe. We played Scrabble nearly every day and he won nearly every day.

Now Scrabble’s got “Power Tiles” to “Boost your score.”

No!!!

Would these folks put arms on Venus de Milo?

There are certain traditions which should remain untouched, like Monopoly and Scrabble.

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9 thoughts on “Hey Hasbro. Don’t Change Monopoly… Or Scrabble”

  1. I totally agree!! Looks like Doppler either picked up or lost a bow along the way. I would most certainly be petting her if I came across her at Target.

  2. They are pandering to the next generation of instant gratification while competing with gaming apps and XBox. There is no such thing as patience anymore, at least not in entertainment. I don’t blame them, but it saddens me too.

    In good news, my 7 yr old nephew does not own any electronics, but is allowed to play one maze-style game on his mom’s iPad a couple of times a week. He’s getting Connect 4 and Operation for Christmas.

    If they ever come up with a power up for checkers, I’m going to give up and go live in the woods.

  3. Doppler has much the same expression as my four-legged, Kniles. When I take him in the cart I put the “leg flap” up and put one of the small fleece dog beds across the seat for comfort (no, he’s not at all spoiled). He gets lots of oohs and aahs and compliments. He manages to work it for all it’s worth!

  4. Geoff – I agree 100%. Some things should never be changed. I am a Scrabble addict and when I can’t sleep I play online against the computer – always a challenge, but I manage to win often – even though the computer cheats on occasion (yep – sad but true). I do not see any advantage in power ups etc. Keep fighting the fight – although I do think we are losing the war Love your pictures and adventures. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your California holiday season!

  5. They’re trying to appeal to a younger generation which has mass collective ADD. Anything that takes more than 5 minutes to play needs to be ‘speeded up’ or they lose interest.
    I have both Scrabble and Monopoly on my computer and I play against it. I have to admit that Monopoly can get pretty dull going around and around for a couple of hours. But I DO like the animated tokens and sound effects.

  6. I agree with all the comments. What a shame to try and “improve” the games…
    And Doppler looks adorable. Wish I had the b**** to take my Mikey in the stores. Looks like fun!

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